Channing Manheim's
moniker of "the Face" stems from his eminence as the top actor in Hollywood.
But not everyone lives in envy of the superstar. His son, Aelfric ("Fric"
for short) calls him "Ghost Dad," because the actor rarely spends time
with the boy. And someone sends vaguely menacing presents -- an apple
with a plastic eye stitched inside it and a cookie jar of "O," "W" and
"E" Scrabble® tiles, among others.

Face won't be back until the day before Christmas, so Ethan Truman,
Manheim's head of security, refuses to panic. Nevertheless, Truman begins
increasing security patrols and surveillance. But then he dies. Twice.
In the same day. But apparently he didn't really die. And neither did
his friend Dunny, despite the hospital's claims. So how did Truman acquire
a set of small bells given to him by a paramedic from the ambulance he
died in?

Fric begins receiving
strange phone calls on his private line at the grand estate. Mysterious
Caller, as Fric dubs him, warns the boy to find a secret hiding place
because Moloch plans to kidnap the boy. At first Fric doesn't believe
the voice on the phone, but after an appearance by Mysterious Caller in
the house, Fric begins gathering supplies for his hidey-hole.

With the help of a
former partner on the police force, Truman begins putting the pieces of
the bizarre puzzle together and finally determines that Fric, not Face,
may be the target of the stalker. But the stalker's seamy acquaintances
know their way around the estate, and the kidnap plot appears foolproof.

The Face starts
out rather slow, which seems a bit uncharacteristic for a Dean Koontz
tale. The final showdown between Truman and the stalker makes for a page-turning
and gripping read, but this book won't be numbered among Koontz's best.